Advances in computing and data processing have led to the creation of large sets of data about consumers and their interests. The data includes information from a wide variety of sources, including postal data, census and demographic data, and increasingly, data accumulated via user interaction with social media and other Websites such as Facebook®, Twitter®, Internet forums, question and answer sites (such as StackExchange®), and the like.
Frequently, this interaction data can be matched to a specific individual or business. Advertisers currently use some data to target advertising to individuals based on their interests. For example, Google® provides tools for advertisers to place keyword and demographically-targeted ads on Web pages which are considered to be relevant to consumers based on their search terms and based on their location and other demographic information.
Many consumers affirmatively take steps to join and participate in groups that provide information or benefits based on shared characteristics of a group. For example, many consumers who are retired or near retirement age join (and pay a monthly or annual fee to) the AARP. Membership in such a traditional group provides a number of benefits to consumers who join, including discounts on certain products as well as information of interest to consumers who share the characteristic of being at or near retirement age. Unfortunately, however, participation requires that a consumer proactively seek out and obtain a membership in the group.
Individuals and businesses often search for, comment on, and interact with topics of interest that either involves insurable assets (such as automobiles, motorcycles, homes, electronics, or the like) or that could provide information to insurance underwriters regarding the insurability of the individual or business. It would be desirable to use information from such searches, comments and interactions to provide insurance related offers and information to such individuals or businesses.